Water replenisher and level maintainer



Dec. 31, 1929. L. EHMANN 1,741,932

WATER REPLENISHER AND LEVEL MAINTAINER Filed March 23, 1928 Ramadan Z1605,7177%??? v" v Patented Dec. 31, 1929 err l- TT FEE LEO EHMANN, OFVIENNA, AUSTRIA Application filed March 23, 1928, Serial No. 264,251,and in Austria May 7, 1927.

This invention relates to a Water replenisher and level maintainer forcooling and sterilizing boilers or vessels, and particularly to meanswhich, while maintaining a proper level of the water, will heat thefresh water being supplied and condense the steam so as to prevent theescape of the latter into the room in which the boiler is being used.

The present invention has for its object to preheat the feed water bymaking use of the heat of the exhaust steam from the boiler, and toeffect the condensation of the steam by the feed water, whereby theoperation of this kind of apparatus is rendered very economi-Q cal,allowing expensive features, such as separate exhaust steam pipes, etc.,to be dispensed with. i

Two modes of carrying out the present invention are illustrated by wayof example and in sectional elevation in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a boiler and one form of waterlevel maintainer embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified form of level maintainer.

The level maintainer comprises a receptacle 2 attached to the boiler 1by means of a pipe 8. Lids or covers 3 and 4c, dipping into smallwater-seal compartments, prevent the escape of steam from the boiler andreceptacle 2 into the room in which the boiler is in use. A cold watersupply pipe 5 is secured to the cover 4 and provided with a sprayernozzle 6, which is vertically adjustable on the pipe 5 and is arrangedcentrally above a water overflow pipe 7. The communication pipe 8 isdivided into inner and outer compartments by a partition 9 (Fig. 1) insuch a manner, that the partition terminates above the top edge 12 ofthe overflow pipe 7 and leaves clear a passage 13 for the discharge ofsteam above the compartments, but does not extend down to the bottom ofthe pipe 8, so that a passage 14 connecting the bottoms of thecompartments is formed. The side wall of the boiler extends into thecross-sectional area of the pipe 8 and thus constitutes a partition 10in which is an opening 11, the bottom wall 11 of which terminates belowthe water level governed and maintained by the top edge 12 of theoverflow pipe 7.

In caseof the supply of an excess amount of feed water, only the colderfeed water will flow off by way of the overflow pipe 7, because the samecannot mix with the hot water of the boiler 1 and hence loss of hotwater will be prevented. By way of the passage 13 the steam, escapingfrom the boiler 1, passes into the vicinity of the spraying nozzle 6.The passage 14: provides a means whereby water may flow from the innercompartment of pipe 8 to the outer compartment thereof and thereceptacle 2 to maintain therein and in the boiler 1 the same waterlevel.

The same working operation is attained in the modification shown in Fig.2 by employing in lieu of partition 9 two pipes or passages 13 and 14:between the boiler 1 and the level 7 maintainer receptacle 2.

The operations of feeding and pre-heating the feed water, and drawing OEand condensing the steam are caused by the spraying nozzle 6. The sameis arranged in such a man- 7 ner, that the axis of the conical sprayhead ejected therefrom coincides with that of the overflow pipe but thespray head is of greater diameter than the overflow pipe 7 and thus isdivided. The part of the atomization cone projected into the overflowpipe 7 effects a suction in the level maintainer and thus sucks steamfrom the boiler. Thereby the steam passes through the part of theatomization cone of water lying above and projecting marginally beyondthe pipe and a large proportion of the steam is condensed thereby. Theremainder of the steam then passes under the suction pull into theoverflow pipe and is completely and quickly condensed therein, owing toits complete saturation by the small drops of cold water from the centerof the atomization cone, without the necessity of using special pipes orother means for the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In liquid replenishing and level main taining means for cooking andsterilizing vessels, a level maintaining device, a boiler, meansestablishing communication between the latter and the said levelmaintaining device, a water discharge pipe and a feed nozzle secured tothe said supply pipe, the said nozzle being arranged to discharge astream of feed Water into the path of steam flowing from the boiler sothat the steam will preheat the feed water and be partly or whollycondensed by exchange of heat between the same and the feed water.

2. In a liquid replenishing and level maintaining means for cooling andsterilizing ves sels, a level maintaining device,a boiler,meansestablishing communication between the latter and the said levelmaintaining device, a water discharge pipe and a feed water sup ply pipearranged in the latter, and a spraying nozzle secured to the said supplypipe opposite the mouth of the said discharge pipe, the said nozzlebeing arranged to discharge a stream of feed water axially toward saiddischarge pipe and in the path of steam flowing from the boiler so thatthe steam will preheat the feed water and be wholly or part ly condensedby exchange of heat between the same and-the feed water.

3. Means for maintaining the fluid level of cooking vessels,particularly receptacles for boiling instruments, comprising a levelmaintaining device, a boiler, passages establishing communicationbetween the latter and the said level maintaining device, a waterdischarge pipe and a feed water supply pipe arranged in the latter, andaspraying nozzle secured to the said supply pipe, said nozzle beingconstructed and arranged to discharge a conical spray of feed water oflarger diameter than the discharge pipe axially toward said pipe and inthe path of the steam flowing from the boiler, whereby the feed waterwill be preheated by the steam and portions of the steam will becondensed in the receptacle and in the discharge pipe.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEO EHMANN.

